VisitErie and seven other western Pennsylvania counties have partnered together to encourage travel in Western PA during National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) Sunday May 2 to Saturday May 9, 2021. Participating counties: Beaver County Tourism, Visit Butler County, Crawford County CVB, VisitErie, Go Laurel Highlands, Visit Lawrence County, Visit Mercer County, and Visit Pittsburgh.
The theme of this year’s NTTW, “Power of Travel,” highlights the innumerable ways in which travel makes up the fabric of our culture and economy. “NTTW takes on a special significance this year as the travel industry looks to rebound quickly from the pandemic and accelerate recovery efforts,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “The past year was incredibly challenging, but we saw the full power of the travel industry on display in the way we united and supported one another through this crisis.”
In response to this, the group developed this collaborative project. Each county will supply the other seven with $100 gift incentives/cards to be given away during tourism week. This works well for a few reasons; it stimulates the economy in our communities by the purchase of $700 gift incentives, the counties giving them out will stimulate travel and business sharing them amongst their residents, and it may help curb anxiety levels of venturing out, even if only to surrounding counties.
Prizes from Erie County include gift incentives/cards to Waldameer Park, Splash Lagoon, Presque Isle Downs & Casino, U Pick 6 Tap House, Hidden Harbor, Millcreek Mall, Mazza Vineyards and the Sheraton and Courtyard Bayfront Hotels. Prizes from other participating counties include Kennywood Park, Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad Tours, Pitt Raceway, Wines and Dines and more.
Those wanting to participate in the contest should watch for VisitErie Facebook ads or go to www.VisitErie.com and click on the Travel & Tourism Week link located on the home page.
“This 8-county joint effort to bring visitors to Pennsylvania shows that we are all ready to safely welcome people back and that we are eager to show off our tourism product. It’s just another step towards bringing the tourism industry back to life,” stated John Oliver, VisitErie President & CEO.
